


Riptide

by WhereTheFunEnds



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Drowning, F/M, Fluff, Lifeguard Ben Solo, Lifeguard/Surfer girl AU, Lots of kissing, M/M, Protective Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, Shirtless Ben Solo, So many kisses, Soft Ben Solo, Surfer Girl Rey, Surfing, the ocean takes and the ocean gives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24277363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereTheFunEnds/pseuds/WhereTheFunEnds
Summary: The Surfer Girl/Lifeguard reylo fic you didn't know you needed.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 105





	Riptide

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, this ended up being a lot longer than I thought!  
> There is a lot of Surfer lingo used, so the end notes has a mini glossary.  
> Hope you enjoy <3  
> P.S. many thanks to everyone who helped beta read this!

“Rey! Get up, come on we’re gonna be late!” Rose complained, ripping the blankets off Rey. 

“I’m up! I’m up Rose!” Rey responded waving her arms at her friend.

“I’m not leaving till your feet are on the floor.” Rose said sternly. Rey groaned but swung her body over till her feet dangled off the mattress to touch the creaky wood floor. Rey rubbed her eyes as she sat up trying to adjust to the dark.

“South Endor is pounding today, we gotta get out there before work. Eat in the car.” Rose said excitedly shoving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at Rey. Rey’s mind slowly cleared as Rose’s words were filling her with anticipation.

“Shit, sorry, I’ll be ready in like 5 minutes!” Rey hollered as Rose left her room to get Finn. Rey stumbled over to the wall flipping the lightswitch. Nothing happened.

“We’re out of power  _ again  _ guys?” Rey shouted into the hallway at her roommates.

“Rey, did you  _ see _ the new Hurley board? I’m sorry but I  _ needed _ it!” Finn yelled back.

“Yeah Finn, and I  _ need  _ electricity!” Rey huffed, pulling off her worn _ Soul Surfer _ tee shirt and tying her bikini in its place. 

Four minutes later Rey was hurried outside and into the car by Rose. 

“Waf fe shell?” Rey asked, shoveling her sandwich into her mouth.

“Jesus, Rey. You’re gonna choke!” Finn says, looking back at her from the passenger's seat. Rey swallows her bite.

“What’s the swell?” She asks again as Rose turns the car on. The engine goes dead. 

“Rose, we  _ need  _ to save up for a new car.” Finn says, not for the first time.

“Nonsense, she just needs a little love.” Rose huffs out as she tries the ignition again. The beat up vehicle shudders a bit then springs to life.

“What's the swell?” Rey asks for the third time, rolling her eyes at Rose’s stubbornness.

“I don't know the details cause Finn didn’t freaking pay the electricity bill again, but it’s good… I know it.” Rose says, glancing in the rear view mirror where the sun is just barely starting to peak over the horizon.

“You  _ know  _ it?” Rey asks, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“Yeah, you know, with her  _ intuition.”  _ Finn clarifies before he and Rey burst out into laughter.

“Shut up you too. I’m right, you’ll see!” Rose says, defending herself.

“Whatever you say.” Rey says sarcastically before taking another huge bite of her sandwich.

A couple minutes later Rey glimpses her first sight of the swell. It’s huge. Rose parks crookedly in a parking spot, letting the beat up vehicle sputter to a stop and Rey climbs out of the two door after Finn.

Rey looks out at the horizon taking note of the lineup. A tanned surfer in familiar neon orange swim trunks carves down the face of an incoming wave before pumping the back of his board and doing an aerial Rey’s only ever seen one person pull off.

“Poe’s here already.” Rose teases, grinning at Finn. 

“I told you Rose, that’s never going to happen.” Finn lies, reaching up to pull his board off the roof of the car. 

Rey reaches up and grabs her board from the roof, tucking it under her arm and hurrying after Finn and Rose down to the dark sand of the beach. There were a couple surfers already out in the lineup but for the most part the horizon was clear.

Rose drops her board in the sand near the lifeguard hut and starts waxing the epoxy surface. The sand is cool and damp from the night’s dew as Rey kneels to check that her boards fins were in place. Rose passed her the wax and Rey started on the task of rubbing the tiny circles of hard wax onto the top. 

Rey looked up to see Finn and Rose sitting patiently looking at her.

“Don’t wait for me you idiots, go catch some rides I’ll be done in a minute.” Rey says, gesturing for them to the crashing waves. It’s only a moment after they run to the water that Rey hears the metal door of the lifeguard hut swint open. A sly smile slides across her face at the noise.

“What’s the break today?” She asks, turning to look at the lifeguard as he looks out to the waterline. 

“You know they have an app for that right?” Ben asks grumpily, looking down at her. Rey cracks a grin at his familiar coldness. Normally, the relationship between the surfers and guards was hostile at best and at first, Rey had assumed Ben Solo was just like the rest of the guards. Rude, stuck up, self entitled assholes. It was about a week after she first saw him setting up the lifeguard shack that she realized he wasn’t like the rest of them.

…

It had been the middle of summer about a year ago. Poe had hosted a party out on the west race point under the cliffs. The day had been long and hot and by the time Rey, Finn, and Rose had made it to the party Rey felt just about ready to walk into the rolling tide and let the tiger sharks have her. 

Poe’s parties were infamous for getting out of hand but despite Rey’s protests, Finn had dragged them out anyway. Finn had been thirsting over Poe Dameron for as long as Rey could remember, and yet, despite her and Rose's most valiant efforts, they could never convince him to just make a move. 

The party was small on the scale of Poe Dameron parties with only thirty or so people milling around the beach and bonfire. Mostly surfers from South Endor, but some people Rey didn’t recognize and some Lifeguards even.  _ He  _ was here Rey noticed. The new lifeguard, Ben. Sitting at the base of the cliff looking out at the water with a beer in his hand. His dark hair flicked across his forehead in the summer breeze. He looked oddly poetic, sitting there amongst the rocks, like he could be some fairytale prince watching for a mermaid. 

Rey shook her head and turned away from him. Rose was smirking at her. 

“Rey, if you date a lifeguard, I will  _ never  _ let you live it down.” Rose kid, gently punching Rey’s shoulder as they walk down to the bonfire. Rey’s bare feet sunk into the cooling sand as they made their way down to where Finn was standing next to Poe looking like a lost puppy. 

The party started out well, they had talked about the swell that season and the World Surf League championships. At some point the illusive Ben even came over and continued to sip his beer by the fire, occasionally nodding his head to something someone said.

The problem came when the sound of loud engines echoed down from the parking lot on the cliff. The motors cut out and Rey didn’t think much of it until a familiar ginger appeared, walking down the cliff path, followed by a small group of people in polos cargo shorts. 

“What are _ they _ doing here?” Finn asked, turning towards Poe. 

“I invited them.” Poe responded, taking the smallest step away from Finn.

“You invited  _ them _ ?” Finn asked in a mix of outrage and fear as Poe handed his drink to Finn and walked past them to meet Hux and shake his hand. Finn looked from Poe, to Rose, to Rey. 

“It’ll be fine, just ignore them.” Rose said, glaring at the ginger and his crew as they walked down to the bonfire. 

The air filled with tension as the crews started to mingle, but Rey stuck with Rose and Finn pretending that Hux and the other Noth beachers weren’t there. The problem came when Hux came up behind Rose and tapped her on the shoulder. Rose flipped around and glared up at her ex.

“What do you want.” She snipped coolly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Calm down Tico, am I not allowed to say hi?” He antagonized, his teeth glowing white in the firelight as he grinned.

“No you’re not allowed to talk to her, now fuck off Hux.” Rey cut in, stepping between her friend and the ginger. 

“Always the loyal guard dog Niima. I just wanted to talk to Rosie. I have a proposition for her.” Hux almost sounded sincere as he explained himself, but Rey knew better. 

“She doesn’t want to talk to you and she doesn’t want your proposition either.” Rey cut back.

“Are you sure about that Niima? I do recall our Rosie as being particularly  _ wanting  _ of what I had to offer… but maybe your right. Is she right Rosie? Do you not want me anymore?” Hux grinned like a cat as he spoke. Rey briefly turned back to see Rose looking at Hux, her face pale and ashen.

“Get the fuck out of here Hux. She doesn’t want you and you fucking know it. She doesn’t want your proposition and if you go anywhere near her ever again I will personally feed you to the tiger sharks.” Rey growled, taking another step towards Hux, her jaw clenched in anger. Rey noticed the party going quiet around them. 

“Maybe you’re right Niima, maybe Rosie has moved on. Maybe you should be the one I should proposition. I know you’re desperate… I heard even your parents didn’t want you.” Hux snickered down at her. Behind him Rey saw Mitaka try to hold back laughter.

Rey’s heart hammered in her chest in infuriation. 

“At least I’m not a slave to my  _ daddy _ like you are, stealing his money cause he doesn’t love you.” She spit back at him between clenched jaws.

“Oh you wanna talk about daddy's money? Maybe you  _ do _ want my proposition… I was thinking you Southies are just sitting there desperate and broke and I have plenty of money to burn… maybe I could pay you to sit on my dick? How does that sound Niima? You could finally have a daddy to please?” He practically growled, taking a step towards her.

“Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me.” Rey finally pushed back, his words forming a cold fury in her chest. Hux reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar bill.

“You want it Niima? If you suck me off I’ll give it to you. Maybe Rosie would be willing to instead? She always used to  _ love  _ that.” He laughs at her and Reys composure snaps. She slaps him hard across the cheek sending him back for a second before he’s pushed back up by Mitaka. His face is read with fury as he lunges for her. 

Time seems to slow as a dark figure pushes in front of him, stopping Hux in his tracks. Rey lunged around the side of the man now standing in front of her to see Solo glaring down Hux.

“Oh good, Niima’s got her own boy toy to defend her now. Is that right Rey? Are you fucking lifeguards now?” Hux shot back, his cool demeanor quickly dissipating. Rey tried to push back towards Hux but Ben put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her where she stood.

“She told you to fuck off. Now I suggest you do that unless you want to deal with me.” The taller man growled down at Hux. Hux looked from Ben, to Rey, and then back to Ben before muttering something under his breath and storming off.

From that moment on Rey’s infatuation with Ben Solo had been thoroughly solidified.

“Yeah Magicseaweed is great but the electric’s out again so no internet.” Rey says sarcastically, as though pretending that asking him what the waves were like wasn’t the highlight of her day.

“You sure it’s not just an excuse to hassle me for information?” He asks, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“Of course not! You’re hard at work, I'm just a patron in need!” Rey said, feigning shock.

“They’re big solid six and seven footers, coming in pretty clean, perfect day for barrels… only seven or eight seconds apart too.” Ben responded leaning over the railing of the hut’s porch. Rey tucked the wax back into Rose’s backpack and picked up her board.

“Yeah, it’s really pounding out there isn’t it. You ready to save some kooks once the sun comes up?” Rey asks him, blocking her eyes from the rising sun as it illuminated the water.

“Unfortunately I am.” Ben scowls.

“What, you don’t love saving tourists when they start calling themselves surfers and get caught in the riptide?” Rey jabs.

“Oh of course I do, that’s why I do this job. Every lifeguard’s goal is saving dumb tourists.” Ben responds sarcastically.

“Don’t lie to me Solo, we all know you do it to look at surfer girls' asses.” Rey teases.

“Only yours Niima.” She hears him chuckle after her causing a cheeky grin to slide across her face as she turns and jogs down the beach, her surfboard tucked under her arm.

The cool water hit her thighs and she jumped onto her board to paddle out into the lineup. The clear blue water rippling over her skin as she paddled out to Rose and Finn. They sat in the lineup straddling their boards, gently beating their legs to keep from moving as they watched the horizon line for waves.

“So, how’s Project Getting Some Lifeguard Dick going?” Finn asked, grinning at Rey as she paddled up to them.

“Why even ask her that Finn, do you  _ see  _ the look on her face?” Rose goaded, her dark hair shining in the rising sun. 

“He’s totally staring at her! Jeese Rey, what’d you say to the poor boy?” Finn pointed out excitedly, looking back at the beach. Rey looked over her shoulder back at the lifeguard hut where Ben stood looking out at them.

“Finn, that’s no boy…  _ look _ at him. That’s a _ man.” _ Rose said, shaking her head.

“He’s literally just doing his job Finn, besides I didn’t say much.” Rey protested, turning her attention back to the incoming set of waves.

“Oh yeah? Let me guess all you said was that you’re a cute surfer girl who wants a piece of him? Like, a  _ big  _ piece of him?” Finn smirked.

Rey did her best to ignore them as she watched the incoming set of waves start to take shape on the horizon, bright flickers of sunlight hitting them so their crests seemed to glow. Rey gently moved her feet though the water on either side of her board, partially to keep her still in her place, but largely to feel the cool water rush between her toes. 

Rose laughed and in her best Rey mimicking voice teased, “Oh, hi big hot lifeguard man, I was just wondering if you could rub some sunscreen on my back? While you’re at it, you know, serving the people of the beach, maybe you could give me some dick? Just a little even?” Finn burst out laughing at Rose's belittling impression.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you two. While you guys are sitting there making fun of me I’m gonna catch some waves.” Rey insisted, using her feet to turn her board around; she lowered onto her stomach and looked back at the incoming wave, starting to paddle as it formed behind her. 

Rey felt a familiar burn in her arms as she pulled herself through the water, building up momentum for when the wave caught up to her. Soon she felt the wave swelling beneath her as the water picked her up. When she felt herself starting to tip forward over the wave she pushed up off the board and onto her feet, dropping down the face of the wave and turning towards it as the barrel formed around her. 

The muffled sounds of Finn and Rose whooping and hollering at her success faded into the crashing of the wave around her. Time seemed to bend as the blue green water surrounded her, all thoughts of the beaches, lifeguards, and friends fading out of Rey’s mind leaving only the feeling of her outstretched fingers dragging through the face of the wave.

The water flicked off around her fingers, spraying delicate drops into the air and to splatter against her outstretched arm. She bent her knees leaning back just enough to move deeper into the wave, gently carving into it’s face to keep her momentum. 

Rey felt powerful like this, harnessing the strength of the water beneath her. Rey had no misconceptions about who was in charge in the situation,  _ the ocean takes and the ocean gives, we’re just here to enjoy the ride  _ Finn used to say. It was true enough, the ocean took things, sometimes shoes, or sandcastles, sometimes even people. And yet, despite its thieving tendencies, the ocean gave food and joy and life back to them (and sometimes it even gave shoes back.) 

Rey let the ocean take her for a ride and show her the power of the current. Rey let the ocean show her that she herself had power and skill, the ocean showed Rey that she was powerful enough to harness the tide.

Far too soon for Rey’s liking, the wave started to crumble around her forcing Rey to pump her board and push out of the barrel, gliding over the back of the wave towards the lineup. Rey heard the shouts of congratulations from the rest of the lineup, and turned to look over her shoulder back at the beach as she paddled back to Finn and Rose. Ben was still watching her. The realization that he’d seen her ride made Rey’s stomach flip into a fit of butterflies. 

…

The sun has fully appeared over the horizon line and the sand starts to grow hot under the light as Rey sits cramped in the back seat of the car, changing into her work uniform as they drive to the diner. Rose makes a violent left turn tossing Rey to the other side of the back seat.

“Rose!” Rey protests, shimmying into her pleated skirt. 

“Sorry!” Rose apologizes, not slowing down the vehicle. 

Soon enough they are pulling up outside of the  _ Takodana  _ diner and hurrying out of the car to rush through the back door of the building.

Maz looks up from her desk, lowering her glasses to the tip of her nose to look up at the three of them.

“Late again?” The old woman asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“Maz, did you  _ see  _ the swell?” Finn asks. Maz looks at the boy and takes a deep sigh.

“Yeah I saw it, just get in there will you and try not to be late next time?” Maz says, trying to suppress a smile as she scolded them.

“Of course Maz! If it weren’t for Rey sleeping in we wouldn’t-” Rose babbles.

“Ai! No blaming, just get in there.” Maz shushes Rose, gesturing to the door that led to the kitchen. Rey lowers her head and follows Rose and Finn past Maz and through the kitchen to the front of the surf themed diner.

Rey snags her apron off it’s hook and starts obediently waiting tables, all the while, trying not to get distracted by the wind picking up outside the windows.

Customers come and go as Rey makes laps between her section of tables and grabbing meals from Poe in the kitchen. The diner is good work, Maz has practically become a surrogate mother to Rey over the years but Rey still wishes she were out on the water on her board instead of listening to Armitage Hux complain to Dopheld Mitaka about all the South Endor scum that keep coming up to north beach. 

Rey tried not to roll her eyes at him as she asked for his order. Who would even want to go up to North Endor? The swell was better in the South not that someone as stuck up as Armitage Hux would admit it.

“Do you know what you’d like to order yet?” Rey asked the boys for a second time, trying to plaster a smile onto her face.

“We’re having a conversation if you can’t tell? As I was saying, the storm is coming in fast, I heard South Endor is getting  _ triple  _ overheads right now, what do you want to bet some kooks are gonna try to surf it and get killed?” Hux snapped up at her before looking back to Mitaka to gruesomely finish his sentence about the surf.  _ Triple overheads?  _

“I see that  _ sir  _ but if you just take one second to tell me your order I can go tell the kitchen and you can get back your conversation.” Rey explains as though Hux were a child and not her own age. 

Hux and Mitaka grumpily give out their orders and Rey glances up at the clock. Ten minutes left until she was free. Ten minutes ‘till she could go see if Hux was right about the storm bringing in giant waves. 

Rey hurries back to the kitchen and relays their orders before looking back at the clock. Nine minutes left. 

Rose complains about how unfair it was that she and Finn’s shifts were longer than Rey’s today. Rey looked at the clock. Seven minutes left.

The bell of a finished order chimes and Rey grabs Hux and Mitakas milkshakes. She looks at the clock as she walks to the boys. Five minutes left.

She places their drinks in front of them. Mitaka says something about how Rey’s ass looks. Rey shoots him a glare before walking back to Rose. She looks at the clock. Three minutes left. Three minutes to freedom.

Rey watches Poe stir a big pot of steaming soup. Two minutes left. 

Rey turns to Rose. One minute left.

“I’m going back out. I’ll be home by dinner.” Rey says, watching as the clock ticks away the seconds to her freedom. Three, two, one. 

Rey shoves her apron back onto it’s hook and slips through the kitchen, nearly knocking Kaydel over as she went. 

“Bye Maz!” Rey calls behind her as the door slams shut behind her. The air is thick and heavy with mist as Rey climbs into the back wheel of the car and unstraps her board from the roof. 

She opens the door and grabs her skateboard, chucking it onto the ground before jumping on it and heading out to South Endor. 

Rey’s hair whips behind her as she rides through the streets, her surfboard tucked under her arm. Rey tries to imagine what the beach is going to look like when she gets there. 

She soon realizes her mind didn’t do it justice. It’s  _ beautiful.  _ Breathtakingly  _ beautiful.  _ The sky is grey and the waters have turned to a deep blue, contrasted by the white peaking crests of the crashing waves. Hux hadn’t exaggerated, the waves had to be at least twenty feet tall. 

Rey threw her surfboard onto the sand next to her skateboard and pulled her crop top off, thankful she was still wearing her bikini from his morning underneath. Rey was shimmying out of her skirt when she heard him.

“You’re not going out right now are you?” Ben asked as she turned around to look at him.

“You’re not going to tell me not to go out right now are you?” Rey responded as her skirt dropped to the ground.

“Uh yeah, that’s actually exactly what I was going to do.” He said, seeming slightly irritated. 

“Your concern is flattering but the beach is closed so you’re off duty. Why are you still even here?” Rey asked, picking up her board.

“I was just closing the shack, just cause I’m off duty doesn’t mean I’m not concerned that you’re going to go get absolutely hammered by those waves.” Ben argued, grimacing out at the waves.

“Look, I appreciate your concern, I really do but I’m going to go surf those waves and you can’t stop me so you should probably go home. That is, unless you want to watch me rip up some triple overheaders?” Rey asked, hoping he’d stay to watch her.

“Third option,  _ you  _ go back home.” He scowls, pushing his damp hair out of his eyes.

“You’re choice, Solo!” Rey sighs, turning to run down the beach. 

Light rain starts to sprinkle as she hits the cool water, paddling out past the breaking waves and into the empty lineup. Rey feels a tremor of fear as the first dark wave of the set reaches her, lifting her what feels like miles above the water line before lowering her back down and crashing past her. Rey looks towards the horizon at the rest of the set and takes a deep breath. She’s got this.

Rey sees the wave she wants forming in front of her and she turns back to look at the empty beach and starts to paddle. Her arms burn with effort as she pulls herself through the water. Anxiety fills her chest as she feels the wave start to lift her. She paddles harder, desperately trying to stay atop the wave.

The wave catches her and shoves her forward. Rey quickly pushes off her board, slippery from the rain, and stands up, dropping down the face of the massive wave. The wind from her speed is cold and Rey shudders, letting out a yell of excitement as she surfs. 

The wave starts to curl over her and Rey leans towards the face of the wave, reaching out to pull her fingers through the side of it, just like she had this morning. The speed of the wave makes the water sharp as the rain hits her face, feeling like little cuts against her skin. 

The wave starts to shift its weight, and though it's trying to swallow her, Rey tries to pump the back of her board to push her faster. The top of the wave crashes over her and the air is crushed out of her lungs as she’s slammed off her board and into the water. 

Rey’s scream is muffled by the roaring current as it rips her down into the depths, twisting her with little regard for her safety. Rey reaches her arms out, grabbing for something, anything to pull her out only for her fingers to slip through the nothingness of the ocean. 

Rey opens her eyes in the sudden shock of pain as she slams into the coral. The water is dark and murky as Rey finds the far away light from the surface. The swell fades slightly and Rey starts to try and swim upwards, desperate to reach the surface before the next swell comes and holds her down. 

Something tugs at her ankle, keeping her stuck. Rey’s eyes sting from the saltwater as she looks at her ankle. Her leash has come off her board and is stuck in the coral. The next swell hits, throwing Rey around as she tries to reach for the leash to rip it off her ankle.

Rey’s lungs  _ burn  _ as she pulls at the band around her ankle to no avail. The ocean spins her as though she were just a rag doll as her vision starts to darken, her hands starting to grow weak against the cuff on her ankle.

Rey wants to cry though it wouldn’t make a difference in her watery prison. Her hope of seeing daylight again is gone by the time she feels a pair of warm hands on her ankle. Thick arms wrap around her torso and start to pull her. Rey hopes it’s to the surface but she can’t tell anymore.

It is only after the cold air hit’s Rey’s senses that she opens her stinging eyes and gasps for air, only to cough up water. The arms shove her onto a longboard, rolling her to her side and through her blurry tears she sees a pair of brown eyes staring back at her. 

“Let it out Rey, try to cough, I’m going to get us back to land okay?” Ben yells over the rain, wrapping an arm over her and to the other side of the board to hold her in place as he starts to swim with his other arm. Rey listens to him, coughing up sea water until cold air hits her burning lungs. She watches him swim next to her to distract herself from the pain in her chest and her fear as they narrowly avoid being pummeled by the growing swell.

It feels like hours have passed by the time Rey feels the board scraping over the sand of the shore. Rey sits up slowly, her head still throbbing. Ben drops to his knees in front of her.

“Tell me what you’re feeling. Can you breathe alright?” He yells over the pouring rain. 

It takes a second for Rey to make a noise. 

“I can breathe. My chest- my chest hurts.” Rey says, straining her voice and hoping he can hear her over the storm. Just then a loud clap of thunder sounds, causing Rey to jump. Lightning illuminates Ben’s pale face. 

“Can you stand? We need to get out of here!” Ben asks. Rey uses her hands to try and get to her feet, her muscles aching from exertion. Her knees wobble and he catches her, lifting her up into his arms. Rey clasps onto him as she watches the angry ocean crash behind them. 

Ben gently sets her down outside the door to the lifeguard shack and pushes the door open. He reaches back to carefully hold her hand and guide her in after him. 

Rey is acutely aware of the sound of water droplets falling off their soaking bodies hitting the worn wood floor of the shack as she looks around. It’s small, with spare lifeguarding tubes littered around and a big desk in front of the window that looked out on the storming waterfront. 

Ben guides her over to sit in a creaky chair. She slowly sits, not breaking eye contact with the dark ocean. She shivers.

“We need to get dry. I think I have some spare clothes in my bag.” Ben says turning away from her and pulling open a grey duffel bag. He pulled a pair of sweatpants and a giant sweatshirt. 

“Uhm, I’ll turn around but you should dry off and put these on okay?” He says worriedly, laying the clothes and a towel on her lap.

“Yeah, I- thank you.” Rey says softly as he turns away from her. 

Rey pulls off her sopping bikini and quickly dries off, trying not to think about the fact that she was completely naked five feet away from Ben Solo. She pulled his blue sweater over her head letting the bottom of the knit fabric fall to her mid thighs. Fuck, she’d just nearly drowned and all she can think about is that wearing his sweater is kinda hot?

“Uhm, these are all of your dry clothes right?” Rey asked with a swallow.

“Yeah. I know they’re going to be big for you but I hope they work cause we don’t know when this is going to clear up and you should really get warm.” Ben responded, still turned away from her. 

“I’m done.” Rey said, still just holding the sweatpants in her hands. He turned back and swallowed looking down at her.

“I don’t want you to get cold either.” Rey says softly, thrusting the pants in his direction and turning around to give him privacy. 

She closes her eyes so as not to see the roaring waters.

“I’m done.” He says after a moment. Rey turns around and opens her eyes to see the black sweats hanging lowly on his waist. She quickly averts her eyes as he turns back to his duffel pulling out a water bottle. 

“You need to drink.” He said curtly, handing her the bottle. Rey held the cold metal, slowly raising it to her lips. The fresh water filled her mouth and her pulse skyrocketed. Rey gagged and spit the water out onto the floor. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Rey sighed, grabbing the towel and drying up the water she’d spilled on the floor. 

“It’s okay, just you should really drink. I know it’s uncomfortable but it will make you feel better.” Ben scowled . Rey looks up at him, rising back to her feet and setting the towel on the table. He looked intimidating, standing there just feet away from here with his arms crossed of his ribs and an agitated look on his face.

“Why did you stay on the beach?” Rey asks, plucking up the courage to voice the question that had been nagging her since he’d dragged her out of the depths of the water.

“I didn’t exactly want to have to deal with your friends scalping me for letting you die now did I.” Ben says with a grunt, leaning against the door of the hut.

“That’s probably smart… Rose would almost definitely come after you if she found out you’d let me drown.” Rey agreed, tugging on the hem of his sweater in nervousness.

“Technically I did let you drown. Drowning is the process of your lungs filling with water, you don’t have to die to drown.” Ben corrected, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

“Well, thanks for not letting me die I guess. Drowning is uh, not the most fun as it turns out.” Rey acknowledged, rubbing the hem of his sweater between her fingers as memories of dark murky water flood her mind. 

“That’s the understatement of the century. The aftermath is not great either. If you ever need to talk to someone about it, particularly as someone who usually is in the water a lot, I’m here to listen.” He says, flicking his eyes up from the clipboard on the wall to Rey’s hesitant face.

“Did you drown? Sorry, I probably shouldn’t ask…” Rey said softly, intently watching his face for a reaction.

“Yeah.” He sighed simply as though he were seeing something in the room that wasn’t there.

“Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you  _ totally  _ don’t have to but we’re kinda stuck here until the storm stops so…” Rey prods.

“There’s not much to it… It was five years ago at Pipeline. I hit the coral. Broke my left femur and cracked my skull, I probably should’ve died but I didn’t. I just had to quit surfing.” Ben grunts, not making eye contact with her.

“I didn’t know you surfed.” Rey responded, her mind heavy with the thought of him being pulled out of the water broken and bloody.

“Most people don’t. I did the circuit for four years but I didn’t use my real name back then. I was kind of going through some family issues at the time.” Ben admits.

“What name did you go by?” Rey asked curiously. 

“Kylo Ren.” Ben responded, finally looking back at her.

“Holy fuck. I-I remember that accident. I saw it on T.V.” Rey says remembering the rescue helicopters picking up the unconscious body of one of the lead surfers in the circuit. 

“Yeah. that would be why I don’t go by Kylo anymore.” He cut back sharply. The shack fell into a thick silence, the only noise coming from the raging storm outside. He ground his jaw as though he were biting back something dangerous. 

Rey’s mind kept moving at 50 knots as though she were still out in the storm. Her thoughts tumbled through the events of the day, the actions that had led her to this very moment in this very place, desperately searching for the answer to a question Rey didn’t even know yet. 

“I just keep thinking… I should be dead right now. I just… I feel like I’m seeing everything for the first time? I just keep thinking that I should never have gotten the chance to breathe again, or walk, or talk to somebody… I should be dead in the water right now…” Rey confides, her eyes wide as she thought about the events of the last hour. 

Rey didn’t feel like the same person she was when she had left work an hour ago. It felt like someone had taken the world and turned the saturation up to the top. Every noise sounding unfamiliar, every sight looking new and oversaturated, as though she had been blind up until this very moment. 

“I know. I remember it..” He snapped, looking down at the ground. His frustration confused Rey. Was he mad that he was stuck here with her? Was he frustrated that she had dragged him into this mess?

“Are you mad at me?” She asked softly, finding no home for anger in her mind.

“Yes.” He responded, still avoiding her eye contact. Rey took a step towards him, watching his pursed lips in the dim blue light coming in from the storm.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I- I’m sorry that I put you in danger like that.” Rey muttered, looking down at her bare feet on the worn wood floor.

“What? No Rey that’s not-” He denounced.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me, you should be-” Rey pushed on, her chest sinking with the feeling of being a burden to him.

“I’m mad you went out there in the first place! I don’t- I would go after you again… I just, I’m mad you put yourself in danger. I’ve surfed waves like that, I’ve seen what they can do to a person, to a  _ body.  _ I’m mad because I didn’t want to see that done to  _ you.”  _ He fumed, his tone sounding almost desperate under the irritation.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think about the risks. I’m just I’m so stupid this is probably bringing up so many bad memories for you and now you have to be stuck here with  _ me  _ for who knows how long…” Rey sighs, daring to look up at him.

His eyes are bright with intention, boring into her, making Rey feel bare.

“I’m mad because I should’ve talked you out of it. I should've made you listen to me. I’m mad at myself because despite the fucking  _ horror  _ that you just went through I can’t help but feel  _ glad  _ that you’re stuck here with me.” He said as though each word were a weight he was tying to himself before jumping off a dock.

He paused for a moment, his breaths sounding pained and contorted.

“I’m mad because you’ve just been through trauma.  _ I  _ just  _ let  _ you go through trauma but all I can think about is that you’re standing five feet away from me in my shirt. Only my shirt. I know, I  _ know  _ I need to chill the fuck out and let you process and let the feeling, the emtional heightening fade but all I want to do is kiss you until you forget about it.” He confesses, his voice cracking in desperation, in the internal fight of emotions.

“I don’t want it to!” Rey exclaimed, taking a step towards him, feeling the thick air tighten around her throat as she dared closer to goal.

“What?” He asked through clenched teeth. 

“I don’t want it to go away. Ever. I feel more alive than I ever have. Everything feels new and beautiful and sensitive and I don’t want it to go away. I don’t want to stop feeling this. I- I want to feel everything and I want to feel everything with _ you _ .” Rey elaborated, taking another step towards him, and another, and another, until she was mere inches away from his warm body. 

“Rey…” He whispered as she looked up at him. Rey reached up, the sleeve of her sweater falling down to her elbow as her fingers gently brushed over his cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked softly, running her thumb over his cheekbone as she tried to find constellations in the birthmarks on his face. His eyes drifted shut for a second at her stroking, his head gently nuzzling against her hand, before he opened them again, leaned down, and kissed her. 

His lips were soft and salty from the ocean as they gently moved against hers sending fireworks shooting through her body. The kiss was delicate, chaste almost but it felt like the first time Rey had been kissed. His lips felt like the first to really touch her and the only ones she ever  _ wanted  _ to touch her ever again. 

Rey pulled back slightly to look into his umber eyes as they fluttered open before she leaned back in and pressed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

“I never thanked you.” Rey whispered as she pressed a light kiss onto his jaw. He head rolled back against the wall slightly.

“For what?” He murmured.

“Poe’s party. Hux.” She clarified, ghosting a kiss along his ear.

“You don’t have to thank me. You could’ve handled it fine by yourself.” He assured, his hand gently coming up to stroke her back gently.

Rey pulled away from his ear.

“I know. It was nice for somebody else to protect me though.” She whispered softly, feeling vulnerable at the admission.

“You shouldn’t have to protect yourself all the time. If you ever and I mean  _ ever  _ want somebody else to, you can come to me you know. I want to keep you safe.” He responded, his voice becoming serious and his umber eyes bore into her.

“I know. I’m sorry about going out in the storm. It was stupid, I know I just-” She started to say.

“I know. I know what it's like, the call. Sometimes I think the myths of Sirens luring sailors to their deaths just comes from the ocean itself. It’s powerful. Intoxicating.” He admits, brushing a gentle kiss across her left cheek.

“It’s the only place that's ever felt like home to me. I never had a mother or a father but sometimes I feel like the water is my mother. It’s guided me through life, taught me the ways of the world, kept me safe… well until now.” Rey said, almost choking on the last word as she felt the sense of betrayal mist up her eyes.

Ben gently pulled her towards him and into a warm embrace, her cheek resting against his bare chest. She could hear the steady beating of his heart as he gently stroked her shoulder. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get there sooner. I- I should’ve just gone out with you.” Ben said, his voice sounding heavy with guilt above her. A small smile forced its way across her lips.

“You definitely  _ should  _ have just gone out with me but it's not too late. Ben, do you want to go out with me?” Rey asked, her smile breaking into a cheeky grin as she looked up at him. His byronic facial expression melted into a dimpled smile.

“Did you just use a pun to ask me out?” He chuckled, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. 

“Mayyybee…” She blushed, pressing up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the bottom of his jaw. He bent down, catching her lips with his and she melted back into him. Rey’s brain felt like it was floating as he deepened the kiss, tasting her with the utmost care. She pulled back in a moment of sobriety.

“You didn’t answer my question!” She exclaimed, putting a finger over his wet lips to stop him from distracting her with another kiss. He tilted his jaw up to catch her finger with his mouth and gave it a small nip before she pulled it away.

“I’m pretty sure I just risked my life for a pair of pretty hazel eyes but if that wasn’t enough to show that I’m freaking head over heels for you then yes Rey, I definitely,  _ definitely  _ want to go out with you. Ideally many times. Maybe forever but that's probably just the adrenaline talking.” He assured her, gently nipping along her jawline as he spoke. 

“Probably.” She agreed, pulling him back up into a heated kiss. Rey let her hand fall from his neck down from his chest to his abdominal muscles, sending a shiver through his body before settling on his waist.

“It stopped raining.” He murmured into the kiss.

“I was going to pretend I hadn’t noticed.” Rey moaned as he traced his hand up her bare thigh.

“You should go home and eat something… warm up.” He responded, tearing himself from her lips to say each word.

“The electricity is off, remember? No heat.” Rey grinned, suddenly grateful for Finn’s laziness as Ben started kissing the spot on her neck, just under her ear.

“Hmmm… I guess that just means I’ll have to take you to my place won't I?” Rey felt his smirk as he said the words against her neck.

“I guess so.” Rey confirmed, barely holding back her grin. Perhaps the ocean hadn’t betrayed her. Maybe it had given her just what she needed.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Swell= Waves/ waves that are good for surfing  
> Lineup= The surfers all sitting on their surfboards out in a group in the water waiting for waves to come.   
> Riptide= a line in the water at a beach that will pull you out very far into the water very quickly and can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.   
> Board wax= A wax you rub on the top of your board so that it isn’t slippery in the water.   
> Kook= Someone, usually a tourist who thinks or says they’re a big surfer or skater but really aren’t.   
> Duck Dive= when a surfer pushes their board under a wave while paddling out into the lineup. This makes it so you go under the wave instead of it crashing over you.  
> Overhead= a wave that’s over 6 ft.  
> Double overhead= a wave that’s over 12 ft.  
> Set= a group of waves coming into shore.   
> Barrel= When a wave curves over itself such that a surfer can surf inside of the wave.
> 
> I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long, I was swamped with finals but the semester is over now so I will be updating again! Leave a comment if you liked it <3
> 
> Stay safe,  
>  Rey Organa Solo


End file.
